I know MBA's aren't the most popular people around these parts, but they do get Net Present Value. Basically, you need to discount the value of future earnings relative to current cash flow.
I could by your comment that you got it, but it gets a little lost in the rest of the thread debating the philosophical aspects of selling out vs. plowing through.
MBA or not, NPV (and the derived methods) are incredible useful tools in financial planning and decision-making for any business.